Merck Foundation Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with 13 African First Ladies inaugurate the 9th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 – African Business

Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej and African First Ladies of Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Angola and Central Africa Inaugurate 9th Edition of Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com) Africa Asia Luminary 2022. The Botswana First Ladies, Burundi (Democratic Republic of Congo), The Gambia Ghana Malawi, Mozambique Mozambique Namibia, Sierra Leone and Angola marked World Diabetes Day, 5th Anniversary of Merck Foundation. More than 10,000 people attended the Luminary, which was held in hybrid mode. Participants included policymakers, researchers and academia from 70 English-speaking countries. They also received social and scientific sessions that addressed social issues and advanced healthcare capacity in 32 underserved medical specialties. 2022 Luminary will mark the 5th Anniversary of Merck Foundation, and the 10 year journey of their programs’ development. Merck Foundation reported the impact of providing 1470 scholarships to doctors from 50 countries in 32 critical and underserved specialties such as; Oncology, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Preventive, Endocrinology, Fertility, Embryology, Reproductive Care, Respiratory Care, Acute and Intensive Care, Neonatal Care, Pediatric Emergency, Advanced Surgery, Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Internal Medicine, Ophthalmology, Psychiatry, Palliative Care and Pain Management and more. Link to the Facebook live steam of Inaugural Session of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary & African First Ladies High Level Panel: https://bit.ly/3UPQ5gR.

Merck FoundationMerck KGaA Germany’s philanthropic arm, MERCK KGaA Germany, held their annual conference, the 9th Edition of “Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary”On 15th & 16th November 2022As a hybrid model, he attended both in person and online. The conference was inaugurated on Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of both of Executive Board of E.Merck KG and Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, Senator Rasha Kelej (CEO of Merck Foundation) and Chairperson Merck Foundation Africa Asia LuminaryTogether with 13 African First Ladies in 13 Countries;

• H.E. Mrs. NEO JANE MASII,The First Lady of Botswana
• H.E. Madam ANGELINE NDAYISHIMIYE The First Lady of Burundi
• H.E. H.E. The First Lady of The Democratic Republic of The Congo
• H.E. Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH–BARROW The First Lady of The Gambia
• H.E. Mrs. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO, The First Lady of Ghana
• H.E. Mrs. CLAR MARIE WAAH, The First Lady of Liberia
• H.E. Mrs. MONICA CHAKWERA The First Lady of Malawi
• H.E. Mrs. ISAURA FERRÃO NYUSI, The First Lady of Mozambique
• H.E. Mrs. MONICA GEINGOS The First Lady of Namibia
• H.E. H.E. The First Lady of Sierra Leone
• H.E. H.E. The First Lady of Zambia
• H.E. Dr. ANA DIAS LOURENÇO,  The First Lady of Angola
• H.E. Madam BRIGITTE TOUADERA The First Lady of Central Africa

Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp Chairman of both of Executive Board of E.Merck KG and Merck Foundation Board of Trustees expressed “I would like to welcome and also thank our partners, African First Ladies and Health Experts, policy makers, academia and media from more than 70 countries to join hands with us in order to realize Merck Foundation’s vision, we have achieved together, a huge success and we are going to continue our efforts to achieve more ”.

Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, emphasized, “I am very proud to welcome our Guests of Honors, Keynote Speakers, First Ladies of 13 African countries. Together we shared experiences and discussed the impact of our programs to build healthcare & media capacity and raise awareness on a wide range of sensitive and critical social and health issues like Supporting Girl Education, Ending Child Marriage, Stopping GBV, Breaking Infertility Stigma, Ending FGM, Women Empowerment, and Diabetes Awareness”.

“It is for the first time that we conducted our annual conference in person after the coronavirus global pandemic and it is also the first time that we conducted it in a hybrid model (in-person and online) to enable more than 10,000 participants from more than 70 countries to safely and effectively meet and discuss strategies and solutions for the health challenges in their countries with the aim to contribute to transforming patient care landscape  and building media capacity and healthcare capacity. Merck Foundation has done more than I can count. 1470 scholarships for young doctors from 50 nations in 32 important and underserved specialties. Many of them are the first to become specialists in their respective countries. We are making history together”, added Senator Kelej.  

During the 9th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia LuminaryThe First Ladies of 13 African Country CountriesAlso, the Ambassadors of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother”The celebrated 5th Anniversary of Merck FoundationMarked the 10 year Journey of Merck FoundationThese programs were developed in 2012. They also marked the Zusammenschluss der World Diabetes Day Where Senator Rasha dedicated a Special Song “No more Diabetes” and a storybook “Sugar Free”To help create a culture shift in leading a healthy lifestyle, including stopping sugar, eating well, and exercising regularly to manage diabetes.

On 15th November 2022, the Plenary Sessions of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary2022 were held. During which a high-level panel meeting took place of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit.

On 16th November 2022, five sessions, out of which four important Medical and Scientific Sessions were conducted in parallel, of Diabetes & Hypertension, Oncology, Fertility and Reproductive care and medical capacity building of other specialties such as; respiratory, acute care, emergency pediatric and neonatal care and more. Merck Foundation Health Media Training Session was also held that day for journalists. It was designed to highlight the critical role they play in shaping society’s culture to end the stigma of infertility, support girl education, stop GBV, end child marriage, and empower women at all levels. The training session was attended over 200 journalists.

Participants in the 9th Edition Merck Foundation Asia Luminary were:

Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central Africa Republic, Cambodia, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Guinea – Bissau, Guinea – Conakry, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, The Gambia, Togo, Tunisia, U.A.E, UK, Uganda, US, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe and more.

The 9th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2020 Was Live streaming on social media handles of Merck Foundationhttps://bit.ly/2MmUl3p) And Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej (https://bit.ly/3hWYWhU).

Link to the Facebook Live Steam of Inaugural Session Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary & African First Ladies High Level Panel: https://bit.ly/3ELcupR

Merck FoundationIt is changing the Patient care landscape, making history with its partners in Africa and Asia, and through:

• 1470 + Scholarships provided by Merck Foundation for doctors from 50 Countries in 32 critical and underserved medical specialties.  

Merck FoundationIt is also creating a culture shift, breaking the silence about a wide variety of social and health problems in Africa and underserved areas through:

• 2200 + Media Persons from more than 50 countries trained to better raise Awareness about different social and health issues

• 8 Different Awards Launched annually for best media coverage, fashion designers, films, and songs

• Around 30 songs to address health and social issues by local singers across Africa

• 8 Children’s Storybooks in three languages – English, French, and Portuguese

• Pan African TV Program “Our Africa by Merck Foundation” TV Program addressing Social and Health Issues in Africa through “Fashion and ART with Purpose” Community

• 1000+ Girls from 15 African countries supported through scholarships or school items, annually.

• 9 Social Media Channels with more than 5 Million Followers

Distributed by APO Group for Merck Foundation

Media contact:
Mehak Handa 
Community Awareness Program Manager 
+91 9310087613/ +91 9319606669  
[email protected] 

Join the conversation on social media below and let us know what you think.
Facebook: bit.ly/3vKE8O2
Twitter: bit.ly/2TeOQNj
YouTube: bit.ly/3zc3up1
Instagram: bit.ly/3g6OYr3
Flickr: bit.ly/2Tay0Pu
Website: Merck-Foundation.com
Get the Merck Foundation App bit.ly/3v7pf5Z

About Merck Foundation
Merck KGaA Germany’s philanthropic arm, the Merck Foundation, was established in 2017. It aims to improve people’s health and well-being and advance their lives using science and technology. Our efforts are primarily focused on improving access to quality & equitable healthcare solutions in underserved communities, building healthcare and scientific research capacity and empowering people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with a special focus on women and youth. All Merck Foundation press releases can be emailed at the same time that they are posted on the Merck Foundation website. Please visit Merck-Foundation.com to read more. For more information, please contact our social media: Merck FoundationMerck-Foundation.com); Facebook (bit.ly/32YFKpv), Twitter (bit.ly/2TeOQNj), Instagram (bit.ly/3g6OYr3YouTube (bit.ly/3zc3up1), and Flickr (bit.ly/2Tay0Pu).